Walking with a Thankful Heart

Happy Thanksgiving

In our busy world, it is not often that we actually take time to stop and smell the roses, er, coffee. And yet, when we do pause for a moment, we can easily see that we are incredibly blessed. God has been so good to us.

Family

• God has blessed me with a fantastic wife. Bec has been a wonderful helpmeet over the years, assisting around the home and in the ministry.

• God has graciously given us three wonderful kids: Justin, Brianna, and Josie. It has been fun to watch each of them grow this past year as Justin finished college and began a career in IT, Brie continued in college, and Josie began preschool.

• I have been blessed with super parents (and in-laws). They are tremendous examples of godliness. God has provided me with parents that live their Christianity and exhibit Christlikeness as they live each day. 

• And then I think of my brother and sisters. While this has indeed been a challenging year for all of us, it is encouraging to see how God has blessed and continues to bless. We all have faced different challenges, but He has shown Himself faithful as He met/meets needs.

Job

• While not what I expected to be doing, God has provided a job that continues to pay the bills and meet the needs of the family. By the way, I abhor www.chewy.com.

Church

• We have been blessed to be a part of Cedar Hill Baptist Church in Dillsburg, PA for the past year. I have had to opportunity to teach Sunday School as a part of a rotation of teachers, so that was enjoyable.

Home

• God has graciously given us a great home. It is not only sufficient for our needs, but exceeds them. It is more than we could expect.

Provision and Protection

• The family has been blessed with good health over the year. While there have been the occasional sniffles and sneezes, we have had good health over the year. We deal with aches and pains (maybe, FedEx has something to do with that), but overall good health. As we drive, work, and play, God has protected us from serious harm and injury.

• God has met each need that we have. We may not have an abundance of cash in the bank, but the bills are paid and their is food in the cupboard.

There is so much more that could be stated, but you get the idea. Our God is great and wonderful and He continues to demonstrate His goodness to us. Let us continue to be thankful in all that we do.

Walking Day by Day

Whether one uses a day-a-time calendar, a monthly calendar, or a digital calendar, we must all recognize that one day follows the other and time continues to move along. We may speak of how long a day was or how quickly time flew by, but surely each day is followed by the next and time moves on. The great question for us is, "How do we use each day?"

1. What have we learned?
2. What have we taught?
3. What have we accomplished?

Having goals, dreams, and aspirations is great, but our greatest desire should be to serve God faithfully where we are. 

Daniel was over a thousand miles from his home when he was in Babylon, but he still found a way to faithfully serve God. Whatever his circumstances, whether in the king's court or in the lion's den, he was fully committed to his God. Life may have (many) ups and downs, but God is still in complete control. We need to trust Him and allow Him to do what He does so well. 

As God grants us time, we need to use that time to accomplish His will wherever we find ourselves. We may be at home, at work, or at school. We might be near family or around the world on the mission field. We may be a part of a team or flying solo. Wherever we are and whatever we are doing, we must keep God in first place in all that we do.

I have more on this topic, but this is all for now.

Walking by the Tree

The message Sunday night was from Luke 19, the story of Zacchaeus. Some of the thoughts that I had while listening to the message.

1. The crowd
1. They passed judgment
1. on Zacchaeus
2. on Jesus
2. They stood by on the sidelines
3. They missed out on the blessings
2. Zacchaeus
1. He was determined to see Jesus
2. He was changed by Jesus
3. He was humbled
4. He was accepted by Jesus
5. He was found by Jesus
6. He was redeemed by Jesus
3. Jesus
1. He had a plan
2. He moved with a purpose
3. He sought out the lost
4. He saved the lost

This is not a complete list, nor is it completely fleshed out. It is just a series of ideas that came to mind during the message on Zacchaeus.

Like a Walk in the Park

Well, it is Monday, July 3. I work tonight, am off tomorrow, and resume the normal schedule on Wednesday. Today, as with most Mondays, I get the day with Josie. Probably her favorite question any day, but especially on Mondays, is "Can we go to the park?" I try to accommodate when possible, but sometimes schedule or weather do not cooperate. Today, all is good, so we are at the Adventure Park in Mechanicsburg - popular place. Safety and security are never a concern, neither is the source of the next meal, snack, treat, etc. Simple childlike trust that all will be well, so let's play.

Then come the adult years. Dreams come and go and life gets real in a hurry. College choices, degree choices, job choices, location/relocation choices. Marriage, housing, church, etc. Day after day, choice after choice. Each choice carries consequences and the consequences help to reroute us on our path. Life is one "re-calculation" (GPS-speak) after another. And yet, the little children simply look forward to the next time we visit the park or the next visit to the play area at Chick-fil-A or McDonald's. The adults pray for guidance and direction, for God to provide wisdom, discernment, for jobs and provision. We may get discouraged and disappointed when our goals and plans do not come to fruition, but all the children want the next time to have fun.

If all that we truly want is to glorify God, then He should be able to direct us along the path He chooses, whatever and wherever that should be. If He reroutes us, then "Fine." We must simply be willing to go and do what He asks. Just as we expect the little ones to obey, so we are expected to obey. We just follow. God never promised that life would be easy, nor did He say that it would go according to plan. He did promise to never leave us.

And so, we continue on the path that we travel, waiting for the next set of instructions, we exercise patience, trust, and obedience. If we can trust God with our eternal destination, we can surely trust Him with our day-to-day lives, even when life does not make sense. We just trust as the little child at the park.

Enjoy and have fun.

Walking to the Front of the Truck

I had intended to write with a greater frequency, but the loading of trucks at night and the subsequent sleeping during the day changed that plan. I have been able to work extra, so even though I choose to remain part-time, I am working between 40 and 45 hours a week. Then I typically get 1.5-2 hours of sleep on Saturday morning and then it is "family" time for the day. All of this means one thing: Sunday after church is now nap time. (I try to not let nap time happen during church.) Lately, I have been working every other Sunday night as well, so I get one normal night of sleep each week. That said, I will make an effort to write more regularly.

God has been very good to us. As stated, the cap on FedEx Ground hours was lifted and I have been able to work full time hours. Becky's job has been as blessing as she works for Penn State University (Healthcare) for the Hershey Med Center. Justin is home from college, finishing his final two courses and preparing to get a job to pay off his college loans. Brie is serving at Pioneer Bible Camp in Eden, Utah. Josie is being herself, getting into everyone's stuff. She is a blast.

While wait for God to show what is the next step on our path, we have been attending Cedar Hill Baptist Church in Dillsburg, PA. Becky is a substitute teacher for the ladies' Sunday school class. I taught in the auditorium class for six weeks. It has been a true blessing for the family. Josie attended her first Vacation Bible School a few weeks ago and had a ball.

More to come, at some time.

Happy Resurrection Day

Today is perhaps the most joyous day of the year. Other days have their certain charm -- birthdays, Christmas, first day of vacation -- but Easter far and away carries more hope and anticipation to those who truly understand its meaning than any other day. Our savior raised from the grave to conquer sin and give us the victory over sin and death. As I reflect on the goodness of God and His love for us, some simple statements come to mind.

Crucify Him

   It's Still the Cross

It is finished    It Is Finished

He is risen

   The one Who Lives Again

This same Jesus...shall so come
Jesus Is Coming Soon

What a wonderful day to call our hearts and minds to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is so wonderful and gracious to us.

A Walk in the Park

Continually in American sports (due to different seasons) we are in the middle of the phenomenon known as the "coaching carousel." One of the topics that sometimes impacts the hiring process, perhaps preventing the hiring of a tremendous candidate is the question of power/authority. Many coaches want more power/authority over the operations of the organization. It is normal for man to want a better position; we welcome raises and promotions. Sometimes the promotion brings a better life, sometimes only more trouble. Some days we wish that life could be easier, perhaps a "walk in the park."

Many times the Word of God presents us with a paradox in the Christian life. One of the desires of God is that we live a life of submission. While life is not going to be easy, much of the pressure is relieved when we understand that our responsibility is simply to obey. We must willingly submit to the will of the Father. The paradox in the Christian life is that God also wants us to submit one to another. So, we must surrender our own wishes and desires even as we naturally want everyone to help satisfy our wishes and desires. Though we want what we want, we should seek to help others get what they want. At the same time, God wants us to want what He wants. He has informed us that our way is not His way. In the gospels, Christ stated that the first shall be last, and vice-versa. God wants us to serve others even as we serve Him, indeed, we serve Him through serving others. God expects us to use the skills that He has given us, but to do so by serving. We yield our rights and live as servants of the King. How is it a walk in the park, as He may lead us through times of difficulty and trial? We have the God of all who knows all as our guide through life. We do not need to try to second-guess Him, but rather humbly obey. We need to spend time with Him that we might discern His will, but we simply live each day according to the principles found within His word.

We have dreams and aspirations, but the desire of our heart should be to please God. We should strive to use our skillset to minister to others. Just as a child may go for a walk in the park with his father, holding hands as they walk, so we can go through life with the same sense of peace and confidence. Whatever we face, wherever He leads us, God has promised to be there with us. We can trust Him; we only need submit and obey as we follow Him while walking in the "park."